Based on the present state of the theater world, It is safe to say that biopics or biographical dramas are not really one of the most loved genres in the film industry. Once in a blue moon, a good biographical drama will surface in the film industry, putting everyone in a major chokehold, but it’s a rare occurrence.
And today, we are excited to let you know that such a rare occurrence has come to bless us in the form of an upcoming movie release by the name of Chevalier. It is a rise-and-fall genre of biographical history-based drama set to be released to the world by the distribution of Searchlight Pictures produced by Element Pictures.
It is an 18th Century historical biopic i.e., a biographical drama featuring the titular male lead role, Chevalier de Saint-Georges or Joseph Bologne. The movie is going to depict the history of the musical prodigy’s life throughout the French Revolution in the 18th century and tell us about his imminent rise to fame, and also his downfall in the cruel and racist French society where he tries to make his mark and bring about major changes.
The movie is sure to be a good watch because this movie highlights the history of an untold anecdote and upholds the past cruel traditions that one man took the great initiative to change. To find out more about the biopic’s plot, when it will be released, and how it has been critically acclaimed so far and vice versa, keep on reading.
Chevalier Movie Release Date
Release Date: April 7, 2023
World Premiere Date: September 11, 2022
World Premiere Venue: Toronto International Film Festival (2022)
Running Time in Total: 107 Minutes, i.e. 1 Hour and 47 Minutes Long
Official Trailer:
Chevalier’s Production
The biographical and historical drama Chevalier is a movie directed by Stephen Williams. It was produced by the company, Element Pictures and is going to be distributed by another film production company by the name of Searchlight Pictures.
The biopic is written by the one and only Stefani Robinson, who is known for writing the TV series Atlanta. The announcement for the movie being bought for production was made on June 30, 2020, when Stefani Robinson presented the feature pitch, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, to Searchlight Pictures.
On the 31st of March in 2021, it was revealed to the public that Kelvin Harrison Jr. had been chosen to play the titular main lead role of Chevalier de Saint-Georges. It was also later revealed on the 8th of July in 2021 that Samara Weaving joined the main cast as the female lead role in the movie.
Afterward, during the next month, i.e in August, Lucy Boynton and Minnie Driver were added as female roles to the main cast. Alex Fitzalan was also cast as one of the main male supporting roles in the movie.
The biopic’s title was also shortened from Chevalier de Saint-Georges to Chevalier. The filming for the biopic ended in late November of 2021, while the principal photography for the film started in Prague in the Czech Republic on the 7th of September in 2021 and ended a little before the filming did.
Chevalier Movie Cast
The Cast Lineup for the Biopic Movie, Chevalier is Mentioned as Follows:
- Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the male lead who is a French and Caribbean mixed-race violinist and musical composer, Joseph Bologne or Chevalier de Saint-Georges
- Samara Weaving as a French woman of letters and literary salonniére, Marie-Josephine de Montalembert
- Lucy Boynton as the last queen of France and Chevalier’s lover, Marie Antoinette
- Marton Csokas as Marie-Josephine’s husband, a French engineer, and writer on the niche of fortifications, Marc René or marquis de Montalembert
- Alex Fitzalan was one of the major French nobles who supported the French Revolution; Louis Philippe II, The Duke of Orléans
- Minnie Driver as a French ballerina renowned on the Parisian stage, Marie-Madeleine Guimard
The Plot of Chevalier
The biopic i.e, biographical, and history-derived drama Chevalier is based on the true life history of the 18th-century musician Chevalier de Saint-Georges or Joseph Bologne. It tells us the story of his rise and downfall in life in the then-French society he had to grow up in.
He was born as a mixed-race illegitimate child from an African slave mother and a French plantation-owning father. He grew up in ancient French society being shunned by everyone for being a person of color due to his French and Caribbean descent.
But he was exceptionally talented when it came to music and fencing. His skills earned him a temporary place in the past French society, but that didn’t stop the racism and partiality he had been facing from childhood.
He decided to hone his skills and make his presence known in the then-French society. He first made his existence one to be acknowledged by becoming a fencing champion by using his extraordinary fencing skills.
Afterward, he started displaying his virtuoso creole violinist skills at different events in society, which made his existence even more known. But that still did not spare him from racism, and he was given the derogatory nickname of Black Mozart.
Only one person acknowledged his violin skills and appreciated him for who he is, and it was none other than the last queen of France before the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette. She took to admiring him, which resulted in a quick affair blooming between them.
But when Marie comes to realize that Joseph wants to take his musical career further by doing bigger concerts, she starts rethinking her choices. She warns him that his ambitions will imminently hoist him up onto a pedestal, but it won’t be long before he falls down.
But Joseph doesn’t pay attention to her and continues chasing his dreams. His complicated love life with other women mixed with the ancient regime of the then heavily racist French society leads to a fallout with Marie Antoinette.
Joseph then realizes that the past French society needs some major changes, and he decides to be the one to take the initiative to bring about the needed revolution. He uses his musical scores and starts displaying them at concerts, winning the hearts of some people.
But of course, the ancien regime makes his plans to bring about a revolution go down in vain. Eventually, he faces his downfall and is forced to step down.
The movie will let us explore his dynamic life history in the then French society. It will show us how his complicated love life also plays a significant role in his downfall.
Chevalier Public and Critical Reception
The biopic i.e. biographical and historical drama, Chevalier, first premiered worldwide on the 11th of September in 2022 at the Toronto International Film Festival (2022). After that, it garnered a tumultuous response from the critics and the general public.
The history-based biographical drama is a unique concept due to the fact that it highlights the alarming rate of racism that prevailed back in the 18th Century in the past French society. It shows us how Joseph Bologne, or Chevalier de Saint-Georges overcame these racist hurdles and made his mark upon the past French society through his musical score.
It is a one-of-a-kind historical biopic i.e, a biographical drama that depicts the untold and true life history of an underestimated musical prodigy. The ratings of the movie thus far on renowned critical scoring websites are as follows:
- IMDb rating: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94% out of 100%
- Metacritic rating: 67% out of 100%
From the above ratings, it is safe to say that the biopic will surely not disappoint our expectations and be a worthy watch. Based on all the reviews from the critics, it has a generally favorable review and overall good scoring in terms of acclaim.
When and Where can we watch the movie Chevalier?
It is most likely that out of all the subscription-based streaming services out there, like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon prime, etc., the biopic Chevalier will be available for streaming on Disney Plus. It will be theatrically released worldwide on April 7 in, 2023, and then be available for streaming on Disney Plus.
As to when the movie will be available for streaming on Disney Plus, we can say that the biopic Chevalier will be approximately available for streaming 45 days after its theatrical release date. So we can expect to be able to stream the movie in the early days of June 2023.
But it is most likely that the set theatrical window time of 45 days will be extended because the movie is sure to be a public favorite. Disney would like to maximize the period of box office theatrical run for added public reception, which, unfortunately, makes it more likely that the film will not be available for streaming on the Disney Plus library till July 2023.
The Disney Plus library updates daily at 3:00 AM Eastern Time (ET). But most of its biggest and anticipated streaming releases are made on Friday, upon which the Disney Plus homepage updates about an hour later of the initial release but email subscription notifications are set to be sent out within minutes of the release of any new content added.
The cost of the subscription plans of the Disney Plus streaming platform service is as follows:
Disney Plus with ads:
$8/monthly with ad-supported streaming from the basic Disney Plus library along with Ultra HD, i.e. 4k streaming with HDR and Dolby Vision streaming for some content. You also have the ability to stream on 4 devices simultaneously and make up to 7 different profiles with one subscription plan.
Disney Plus ad-free:
$11/monthly with ad-free streaming from the basic and exclusive Disney Plus library along with Ultra HD i.e. 4k streaming with HDR and Dolby Vision streaming for some content. You also have the ability to stream on 4 devices simultaneously and make up to 7 different profiles with one subscription plan, along with unlimited downloads and a group-watching feature for synced playback with friends and family.
Disney Plus ad-free:
$110/yearly with ad-free streaming from the basic and exclusive Disney Plus library along with Ultra HD, i.e., 4k streaming with HDR and Dolby Vision streaming for some content. You also have the ability to stream on 4 devices simultaneously and make up to 7 different profiles with one subscription plan, along with unlimited downloads and a group-watching feature for synced playback with friends and family.
So absolutely do not forget to set your alarms for the right time and keep a tab on those notifications like a hawk for the streaming release of the biopic Chevalier.
How to stream the movie Chevalier on Disney Plus
Here’s how you can watch Avatar: The Way of Water on the Disney Plus platform:
Step 1: You need to either get on the Disney Plus website or download the software application on your device. There is a list of supported devices that the application is compatible with, so make sure to check that out to find out if your device is compatible with streaming or not.
Step 2: You need to choose a plan from the available subscription plans that Disney Plus provides. Their subscription plan costs are mentioned above, so you can choose one that is most suitable for your needs and what you desire.
Step 3: Purchase your desired plan and create your account through which you’ll log in to access the service.
Step 4: Log in with your account details, and you’re good to go. You can start streaming other movies in the meantime while you wait for Chevalier to be available for streaming on the platform.
And just like that, you have your very own Disney Plus streaming plan where you can watch not only Chevalier but many other types of movies, series, documentaries, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. Is Chevalier based on a true story?
Ans: Yes, the biopic Chevalier is based on the true story of the 18th Century musical prodigy known as the Black Mozart.
Q. Where was Chevalier filmed?
Ans: The movie Chevalier was filmed in Prague in the Czech Republic.
Q. What is the movie Chevalier about?
Ans: The movie Chevalier is about the historical life of an 18th-century renowned violinist and music composer by the name of Chevalier de Saint-Georges or Joseph Bologne, who was given the derogatory nickname of Black Mozart by French society.
Q. Where can I watch the movie Chevalier?
Ans: You can watch the movie Chevalier on Disney Plus 45 days after its theatrical release and running period.
Q. Where was Chevalier de Saint-Georges born?
Ans: Chevalier de Saint-Georges was born in Baillif, Guadeloupe.
Q. Did Chevalier de Saint-Georges get married?
Ans: Yes, Chevalier de Saint-Georges did get legally married to Elisabeth Mérican, but it soon ended because of incompatibility.
Q. What was the first skill that Chevalier de Saint-Georges was famous for?
Ans: Chevalier de Saint-Georges first became famous because of his fencing skills as he was a champion fencer.
Q. What is the meaning of the name Chevalier in French?
Ans: The meaning of the name Chevalier in French is “Knight.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, after taking in everything we know about the upcoming biopic i.e. biographical and historical drama, Chevalier, we can gauge that it will be a well-worthy watch. Searchlight Pictures produced films have yet to disappoint us, but they haven’t been anything extraordinary either.
So, for them to choose a biopic featuring an 18th-century historical figure to portray is a rather bold yet admirable step. Because the feature film in question is written by the renowned Stefani Robinson, we are bound to have higher expectations regarding the upcoming release.
Make sure to mark your calendar for the exact date of April 7th to catch the movie in the theaters. But if you want to watch it in the comfort of your own home, you’ll have to wait for way longer than a month before you can stream the movie online.
If you’re a fan of historical drama or biographical drama genre of films, this will surely be a worthy watch for you and a nice addition to your collection. So, do not forget to check out the trailer for the upcoming biopic Chevalier and form your own opinion of the biographical and history-based drama.
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